Chapter 4

Lee took a few deep breaths and tried to calm the rage that had been building in him since the moment he had caught sight of his wife openly flirting with the blond man at the bar. He was just thankful that his mother-in-law hadn't seen Amanda with this guy. That would have taken more explaining than he would have been able to do, especially since he hadn't recognized the man until after he had stepped into the bar. He had walked Dotty out and hailed her a cab all the while keeping his jealousy and anger in check. One good thing about being an agent, he was able to quickly compartmentalize his emotions when the need arose.

After making sure Dotty was safely inside the cab, he had passed the cab driver a fifty and told the man to take his mother-in-law home. Although Dotty had started to protest, he had insisted. Truthfully, he didn't want Dotty to realize that she didn't have enough for the cab ride and come back inside the restaurant. He had then immediately reentered the restaurant and made a beeline to the bar. The first thing he had noticed was Amanda's hand being held and caressed by the blond man. It wasn't until he got a closer look that he realized who the blond man was and his anger started to subside. However, as realization dawned that his wife had initiated the Peacock Dance without any backup, his anger had quickly risen again. Without further hesitation, he approached his wife and gently tapped her on the shoulder.

Amanda turned and met her husband's gaze. "Lee? I thought you'd left already." With her hands in her lap, she subtly tried to wipe away the feeling of Steven's hand from hers.

"I can see that." Lee glanced at his watch. "You were supposed to meet me here an hour and a half ago." He looked back at his wife nodding subtly, letting her know that he was willing to play along. "Exactly how long have you been here, or have you been here all along and just decided that you'd rather spend time in the company of a stranger." His voice grew a little louder.

Although his eyes held a hint of jealousy, Amanda knew from the tone of her husband's voice that he was more angry than jealous. There was a quality in his tone when he was really jealous, and this wasn't one of those times. However, the small amount of anger that his words were laced with, was a clear indication that a long discussion about her being here, alone, with Richmond was definitely going to take place later. "I've only been here for about twenty minutes. When I got here the Maitre d' couldn't find a reservation under your name, so after calling your apartment, I was getting ready to head over there when I decided that it might not be a bad idea to wait a few minutes just to make sure we didn't miss each other." She looked around the room and noticed a few of the couples intently watching them. "I think we should take this discussion outside, don't you?"

Lee nodded reluctantly. "Fine, but once we're outside, we will continue this discussion." He then headed towards the front of the restaurant.

Amanda turned and smiled apologetically at Steven. "Thank you for the wine. It was nice to have made your acquaintance."

Steven stood. "The pleasure was all mine. Maybe we'll meet again."

Amanda shrugged. "Maybe." She then turned and followed her husband out of the bar and out of the restaurant. Once out on the sidewalk, she approached her husband ready to do battle.

Lee took a deep breath and pointed towards the restaurant's entrance. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You know better than to initiate any kind of meet with a suspect without backup."

Amanda turned to face her husband, at the same time keeping an eye on the entrance. "I didn't technically approach him, he approached me. I didn't see him sitting at the bar. I was too busy looking for you. It wasn't until I was off the phone that I even saw him." She placed her hands on her hips. "Regardless of who approached whom, I wasn't about to waste a perfect opportunity."

Lee crossed his arms in front of him. "That doesn't change the fact that we don't know anything about this guy."

Amanda shook her head and interrupted him. "That's not true, Lee. Francine used to date his brother, and therefore met Steven on several occasions. So I know a little bit about him. He may be a womanizer, but he's not the violent type. Besides, I was perfectly safe. I was in a public restaurant, which wasn't exactly empty. There were plenty of people around, including you. Where the devil where you hiding, anyway? I looked all around the bar and didn't see you. And I wasn't lying when I said that I checked in with the Maitre d', who by the way, didn't have a reservation under your name or mine."

Lee shrugged. "That's because I was trying to be romantic and used the name Vanderhousen."

"Really?" Amanda smiled in surprise. "That was very sweet, Lee, but that still doesn't answer my question: if you weren't in the bar, then where were you?"

"It's not like I was hiding or anything. When I got here, I ran into your mother. Apparently there was a mix up at the florist and she thought the roses I sent you were for her, so she came here expecting to meet Captain Curt." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "So I figured that you probably didn't get the flowers or would get home and come to the same conclusion as she did, so I decided to treat Dotty to a nice dinner."

Amanda let out a frustrated sigh. "So I guess that means you've already eaten and I'm out a nice romantic dinner with my husband." Just then she saw the restaurant door open and watched as Steven stepped out onto the sidewalk and she quickly put her hands back on her hips. "You had dinner with another woman. How dare you?" She glared at her husband. "I got stuck in traffic, and you should know that no matter how angry I was with you, I would never stand you up. I guess we don't know each other as well as I thought we did."

Lee gave his wife a confused stare. "Amanda, you can't seriously be mad because I had dinner with…" Suddenly he noticed the direction his wife's eyes had moved to. Catching sight of Richmond standing just outside the door, he realized why she had suddenly changed her tone. "Wait just a minute, why the hell are you getting mad at me? You're the one who decided to pick up the first guy you saw. I had a harmless dinner with an old friend."

"Another woman, Lee, it was another woman, who you treated to a romantic dinner at a very extravagant French restaurant." Amanda clenched her teeth and made the motion of pretending to wipe a tear or two from her eyes. "And I didn't pick Steven up. I had just called your apartment to tell you that I was heading over there because I didn't think you were still at the restaurant and Steven offered to buy me a drink. Looks like I made the right choice since I would have gotten back to your apartment only to find it empty and who knows how long I would have waited for you. You probably would have gone back to Dotty's place."

"Well if that's the what think of me, then fine. I thought we'd gotten past your insecurities, but I guess we haven't. I'm done with this. I can't keep having the same argument with you over and over." Lee turned to leave. "Goodbye, Amanda." He waved his hand in the air as he headed off towards his car. He walked quickly and turned down the first street he came to. Then, just as quickly, he turned back around and cautiously peaked back around the corner, to keep an eye on his wife.

"Lee!" Amanda called after her husband. Although it had all been an act, his words had still stung ever so slightly, and a few real tears trickled down her cheek. "Damn it, I hate when he storms off like that, always getting the last word." She wiped the salty drops from her face with the back of her hand. "Well if that's the way he wants it…" She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turning, gazed once more into Steven's blue eyes. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you don't deserve a guy like that." Steven pointed in the direction Lee had just gone. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to eavesdrop, but when I came out here and heard how heated the discussion was, I wanted to make sure that you were going to be all right."

Amanda smiled tentatively at the blond man. "Thank you, that was very nice of you."

"Nonsense, just being a gentleman." Steven watched as Amanda shivered. "Look it's cold out, can I call you a cab, or maybe offer you a nice hot drink. My apartment's not very far."

Amanda shook her head. "Thank you, but that's not really necessary, I managed to find a parking spot a few blocks down." She pointed down the road in the direction of her car. She was thankful that her car was parked in the opposite direction that her husband had just gone, especially since she was pretty sure that he was lurking around the next corner, keeping an eye on her and she really didn't want Steven to catch Lee watching them.

"Well then, can I at least escort you to your car. I wouldn't want to worry that something might have happened to you on your way there." Steven looked at the brunette pleadingly.

"Thank you, I'd like that." Amanda fought the urge to tell this man no, that she was married and that she shouldn't be doing this, that it was all a lie, but knew she couldn't; a man's life, a very important man's life, was at stake. So instead, she began walking towards her car and in order to keep him from getting too friendly, she stuck her hands in her pockets under the pretense of keeping them warm.

"I hope you don't have a long drive ahead of you." Steven glanced over at the brunette beside him as they walked along the sidewalk.

"I only live about ten minutes from here, so unless I hit traffic, which I shouldn't this late at night, I'll be home in no time." Amanda kept her answer as vague as possible. Since she knew Steven worked for the government, she realized that that probably meant that he had certain connections and the last thing she needed was for him to try and track her down. Taking a deep breath she fought the urge to look behind her, knowing that her husband was probably following them at a distance. Instead she kept her eyes straight ahead, searching for her car.

Steven watched as the streetlights illuminated the lighter brown natural highlights of his companion's hair. "Amanda, I hope I don't sound too presumptuous, but I couldn't help but notice that your boyfriend not only walked away from you, but he also sounded like he was ending things." He smiled sincerely when her brown eyes looked in his direction. "Since you didn't get a chance to experience the wonderful cuisine at l'Etoile, I was hoping you'd consider joining me for dinner tomorrow night."

"Oh, I don't know. I really should try and work things out with Lee. He gets a little hot under the collar sometimes." Amanda tried not to laugh at the truth to those words. "But, once he cools down…"

"It sounded pretty final to me." Reaching the end of the block, Steven looked both ways to ensure that no cars were coming, and then walked alongside Amanda as they crossed the street. "Look, I understand your reluctance, but it's my last night off until…well for probably a very long time, and I'd really like to spend it in the company of a beautiful woman, rather than alone."

"My car's just over there." Amanda pointed to her Wagoneer parked two spots up. She was using a stall tactic, and wanted to delay answering him as much as possible, especially since she didn't want to sound too eager, and also because the answer she really wanted to give him was that there was no way she'd go out with him, that she was happily married and not available. Unfortunately she knew that Dr. Smyth would probably end up firing her if he found out, so instead she looked over at Steven and sighed. "Let me think about it, okay?"

Steven nodded. "I guess I'll have to accept that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card. "Here's my number."

Amanda accepted the card and tried not to roll her eyes. Francine wasn't kidding when she said he was a ladies' man, the man had his number pre-printed on a business card. "I promise to call you if I change my mind." She walked around the back of her car, and headed for the driver's door. "Thank you so much for escorting me back to my car, Steven." She turned to find him staring at her intently.

Steven reached out and lightly fingered a stray curl that had fallen on her shoulder. "I really hope you change your mind." He twirled the few strands of hair in his finger, relishing its softness.

Amanda turned and unlocked her door. Reaching for the handle, she quickly opened it. "Thank you again for everything, Steven." She said as she slid down into her seat, eager to get away from this man whose touch was making her ill.

"It was my pleasure, Amanda." Steven reached over and began closing her door. "Until we meet again." He closed her door and watched as she smiled at him. He really hoped that she would change her mind, she was just the type of woman that he could lose himself in. Stepping back from the car, he made his way back over to the curb and watched as she pulled out onto the street.

Amanda glanced back in her rearview mirror and watched Steven walking down the sidewalk, most likely heading for home. She let out a long sad sigh. Steven seemed like a very nice man, but he wasn't her husband, and right now she longed to feel her husband's arms around her, telling her that everything was okay, and that this was just one horribly bad dream. Not wanting to go to home and to bed until she'd been wrapped in Lee's loving embrace, effectively wiping away the memory of Steven's touch, she steered her car in the direction of her husband's Georgetown apartment.

SMK SMK SMK

Lee stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway towards his apartment. He knew his wife was waiting for him inside, since her car was parked out on the street in front of the building. He hadn't been sure that she would have come here after their staged argument, no matter how much he had hoped she would. However, once he had seen her car parked out front, he had breathed a sigh of relief and hurried into his apartment building eager to hold his wife. Reaching his apartment door, he put the key in the lock and turned it. Upon entering his apartment, he immediately spotted his wife, sitting on the couch, staring intently at a shot glass of scotch, which currently sat untouched on the coffee table. If his wife was contemplating drinking anything that strong, he knew that this evening's events were not sitting well with her at all.

Lee closed and locked the door and, after placing his keys in the little tray by the door, he moved over to the couch. Sitting down, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. "It's going to be all right, Amanda."

Amanda leaned into her husband's arms, but never took her eyes off the glass of scotch. "You have no idea how badly I want to drink that."

Lee placed a gentle kiss in her hair and, removing his arm from around her shoulder, leaned forward and moved the glass out of her line of sight. "I'm sure you do, but that isn't you, Amanda. You don't drown your sorrows in alcohol, that's what I do." He turned on the couch to face her. "Or used to do that is, until you came into my life and taught me that alcohol doesn't solve anything, that talking about what's bothering you is what really works." He took her hand in his and, bringing it to his lips, placed a tender kiss on her palm. "So talk to me, Amanda."

Amanda turned to look at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You were right, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Even if we weren't married, or even involved for that matter, I wouldn't feel right leading another man on like that."

Lee reached up with his free hand and lovingly wiped way a tear that had started to fall down his wife's cheek. "That's one of the many things I love about you, the fact that you care about other people's feelings, no matter what the situation. You always manage to find the little bit of good in even the worst type of person." He ran his hand tenderly down her cheek. "I hope you never lose that. In this case, however, it might help you to focus on the fact that Richmond, a man who took an oath to protect and serve this country, is planning to break that oath, and take another man's life willingly."

"I know, but it still doesn't make it easier for me to let him touch me, and look at me as if he can see right though my clothing." Amanda squeezed her husband's hand. "Back before I met Joe I hated going out with my girlfriends to bars purely because I felt that the men would be undressing me with their eyes. It always made me feel dirty." She looked down at their entwined fingers. "Even knowing that I have no choice in this whole thing, it still makes me feel cheap and that I'm going against everything I believe in."

Lee leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, then tilted her head up to look at his. "Well you just need to keep reminding yourself that you're doing a job, that you're not cheap or dirty, and it's not real, it's an act. I know you loved to act in college, so just pretend you're playing the lead in a play, one where you get to write the script."

Amanda's eyes were filled with love as she leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her husband's lips. "I love you. Thank you for always being able to find the silver lining."

"Hey," Lee smiled at her letting his dimples show, "that's what a husband is for. Now, despite the more unpleasant aspect of what happened tonight, did you happen to get anything useful from Richmond?"

"Nothing that we didn't already know. He told me he works in security and that he has Tuesday and Wednesday nights free." Amanda leaned back against the sofa, letting her head fall on the top of the cushions. "Our little argument was very convincing." She turned her head to look at her husband. "He definitely believed you were saying goodbye to me like you never planned on seeing me again."

"You know I didn't mean that right?" Lee watched as his wife nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. "Good, because I hated saying it. I'm just glad that I picked up on your subtle hints before it was too late. There was no way we would have been able to pull that one off if I'd finished my comment." Lee let out a small chuckle. "No one in their right mind would have believed that you'd be jealous of your own mother."

"That's true." Amanda sighed. "I guess we also changed the game a little, too. My simple little Peacock Dance has turned into the Lisbon variation. Francine's going to go ballistic when she realizes that all that time we spent coming up with scenarios today was time she could have better spent at a beauty salon or the mall."

"She'll get over it." Lee rubbed tiny circles on his wife's hand. "I really hate that I'm not going to be your backup on this one."

"I know, I do too, especially since we really do work best as a team." Amanda smiled contentedly, enjoying the little massage her hand was getting. The feelings that ran through her at her husband's touch, were something that no other man could ever duplicate. "I don't know if anyone else would have been able to pick up the subtle signals I was giving you. Sometimes I wonder if we really can read each other's minds."

"You know, I could talk to Billy again, convince him that I'll do just fine as your backup. If tonight was any indication of how well I can keep my emotions under control…"

Amanda let out an ironic chuckle. "That's a good one. I bet you were ready to come over and personally drag Steven outside the restaurant for even laying a hand on me. I saw the jealousy and anger in your eyes."

Lee ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, I admit I was jealous until I realized that it was Richmond you were talking to."

"Right," Amanda rolled her eyes. "And then your jealousy turned to anger, because I was meeting with our suspect without any backup."

"Can you blame me?" Lee let go of her hand and stood up. "You're the one who loves to quote the rule book back to me." He walked around the coffee table and began pacing in front of the fireplace. "I've lost count of the number of times you've told me not to go in without backup."

"And yet you do it every time, telling me to wait in the car." Amanda tilted her head and raised her eyebrows mockingly, daring him to argue with her.

Lee stopped his pacing and stared directly at his wife. "Right and you never follow those directions either, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you went with your gut instinct tonight as well."

"Well it did make the approach a whole lot easier, in fact took the whole made up scenarios out of the equation. Nothing works better than reality." Amanda rose from the couch and moved to close the distance between herself and her husband.

"Well, you're still going to have to figure out a way to get close to him again tomorrow." Lee looked at his wife knowingly. "So don't get too self-assured."

Amanda shook her head as she stood in front of him. "Actually, that won't be a problem." She smiled at him innocently. "Since you seemed so eager to get rid of me tonight, Steven asked me to join him for dinner tomorrow night."

"You seem to have the most amazing luck. How the devil do you do it?" Lee shook his head and chuckled lightly.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Fate must really like me. After all it brought us together, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did." Lee winked and then his expression turned serious once more. "We'll have to set up a meeting with Billy and Francine early tomorrow morning to fill them in." He folded his arms in front of his chest. "I still don't like that I'm not going to be there for you."

Amanda gently laid her hand on his arm. "I know that love, but if what I felt tonight is any indication, I know that it's going to be three times as hard tomorrow night, knowing that things will most likely progress to a more physical level. Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to run the other way when Steven offered to walk me to my car, or how hard it was to sit there in the bar, letting him hold my hand, when all I really wanted to do was tell him to leave me alone, that I was already spoken for, but knew that I couldn't because there's too much at stake." She bent her head down, suddenly finding her husband's carpet very interesting.

"Amanda, look at me." Lee gently placed a finger under her chin, and raised her head up. "Did something happen, something that you don't want to tell me about?"

Amanda shook her head. "No, he just held my hand and innocently flirted with me back at the bar. Other than that, since I know you were watching us walk back to my car, you saw everything that happened." She walked over to the fireplace and picked up a picture of the two of them that had been taken on Christmas Day. She ran her finger over it lovingly. "Lee, I need you to promise me that you won't be there." She looked up and met his gaze. "I'll only be able to go through with this if I know you aren't there listening. I know this is going to be hard for you Lee, but I need you to promise to stay away. Francine will be there, so I won't be alone, and I promise that I won't let things go too far." As she put the picture back on the mantle, she noticed another picture of the entire family and smiled. Needing to change the subject, she turned and walked back over towards her husband. "So you voluntarily had dinner with my mother, alone?"

Lee let out a small laugh. "I guess this is your way of telling me we need to drop the subject." He shook his head as his wife smiled innocently. "Fine, I'll let it go for now. To answer your question, yes I had dinner with your mother, alone and I had a very nice time, too. I felt guilty that she believed that Captain Curt had stood her up again. So I figured it was the least I could do, especially since she was sitting at the restaurant waiting for someone who wasn't going to show. We had a very nice time, even though I spent most of it watching the entrance for you to arrive. You must have shown up when the waiter was blocking my view of the door. Anyway, not sure why it's such a big deal, she is my mother-in-law, after all, and I happen to enjoy her company."

Amanda wrapped her arms around her husband's waist and smiled up at him. "It's not a big deal at all. I'm just a little shocked that you'd willingly face the firing squad, alone." She chuckled at her husband's bewildered look. "How many times did she bring up the subject of marriage, you know…between you and me?"

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "Only once." He watched his wife raise her eyebrows skeptically. "Okay, three times, but between our very attentive waiter and my exceptional spy skills, I managed to divert the conversation to safer topics."

Amanda leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips. "Well at least you weren't waiting alone." Then, remembering that her mother was supposed to go away with Captain Curt, she looked at her husband curiously. "Wait, you said Captain Curt stood mother up? That's not like him, I hope he's okay."

"I hope so, too." Lee leaned his head against his wife's forehead. "While I was slightly distracted keeping an eye out for you, your mother was busy worrying about him. She was hoping that there'd be a message or something from him when she got home."

Amanda's eyes grew wide and she removed her hands from around her husband's waist. "Oh my goodness, mother is probably worrying about me and wondering where I am, especially when she gets home and realized that I wasn't there. I should give her a call and let her know I'm all right." She quickly turned and headed over to the phone. Picking up the receiver, she dialed the familiar number "Hello mother … Yes, I heard. I'm with Lee now … We ran into each other outside the restaurant … Did you hear from Captain Curt? … I'm glad he's okay … okay, I will … well then I'll see you sometime tomorrow … Goodnight mother."

"Sounds like she heard from Captain Curt." Lee glanced at her curiously as he watched her hang up the phone.

Amanda smiled as she walked back over to her husband. "Yes, she said that Captain Curt called and he's fine, but he spent the entire day working on his plane. Apparently there was some major problem with it, and he didn't realize how late it had gotten. He apologized to her and promised to make it up to her. She also made me promise to thank you again, and to tell you that she had a wonderful time. "

Lee closed the distance and pulled her back into his arms. "That's good. Now, what was that last comment I heard, something about seeing her sometime tomorrow?" He looked at her hopefully.

"Well, mother said that since it's already so late, and that she ended up stealing my date for the night, she told me that she doesn't plan on waiting up for me, and she's locking up." Amanda wrapped her arms around him. "She wished me and you a wonderful evening."

Lee's face broke into a huge grin. "So that means you're staying? That I get to spend the whole night with my wife."

Amanda smiled seductively at her husband. "Most definitely."

"If this is her way of thanking me for dinner, I'll have to treat her more often." Lee's grin quickly turned into a frown. "Wait, I just realized, you didn't get to eat. You must be starved. How about I see what I have in the kitchen and whip something up for you?"

Amanda shook her head. "I'm not really very hungry anymore, at least not for food." She leaned up and captured his lips in a very inviting kiss. All she really wanted was to feel her husband's lips claiming her with the same passion and hunger that she had seen reflected in Richmond's eyes back at the bar; a look that she only ever wanted to see in her husband's eyes when he gazed at her. "Make love to me, Lee. I need you to show me how much you love me. I don't think I'll be able to get through the next twenty-four hours unless I have some memory of your love to cling to."

Lee tightened his arms around his wife and, pulling her closer, kissed her hungrily. "I think that can be arranged. Amanda," he looked deeply into her eyes, "regardless of what happens tomorrow, and whether or not you have to go back to Richmond's apartment, that's tomorrow. Tonight, I want to be with you, my wife. Let's put on our rings and just be Mr. and Mrs. Stetson for a few hours. We'll pretend that there's no Agency, no assassination plot, no interruptions. Just us." Then, without saying another word, he lifted her into his arms and, as he carried her towards the bedroom, he claimed her lips once more.

To Be Continued…